I expected more energy, I guess? This just didn't feel particularly exciting... or illuminating. Definitely still, "I'm interested", and better than any of the trailers for The Wolverine. But First Class kind of kicked my ass with its intensity - particularly any time Magneto was killing someone. I wanted First Class 2 more than X-Men 4, and this feels more The Last Stand than X-2 or First Class.

I got some serious Star Trek: Generations vibes from it. I wasn't too enthused, but that's mostly because I loathed the parts of First Class that I could get through. It was nice to see Ian McKellan and Patrick Stewart back. I'm looking forward to seeing them getting some proper facetime onscreen.

I was excited to see Bishop, but bummed out that it looks like they're giving most of his story to Wolverine. I could really live without another movie being all about Wolverine. I wish we could have gotten a straight up sequel to First Class instead of this.

I know that Kitty only has The Last Stand to go on in the X-Men Movie Universe, but it's not like Ellen Page is a complete unknown. So it continues to annoy me that they gave the story to Wolverine instead of her. Obviously, if their time travel is based on Quantum Leaping into your own, younger self, then that doesn't work with Kitty - but there's no reason time travel has to work that way.

The X-Men movies have disappointed me way too many times though First Class is amazing when compared to Last Stand but on it's own it has a lot of flaws, so while I did squee at seeing certain images (Blink!) the Cap trailer still had me more excited. But I still want to see it though.

It is annoying that the X-Men movie people have decided the only way to get fans pumped to watch the movies is to have it be All. About. Wolverine. All. The. Time. Cause no. It doesn't have to be that way. /still bitter at Cyclops barely being involved in the Dark Phoenix storyline in The Last Fail.

I think its a good sign that he's willing to do that. It means hes probably putting the film over the fan service of seeing all the characters. I am sad we won't see her. I like her bond with Wolverine and her relationship with Iceman, even if she wasn't like the Rogue I grew up with.

My company set up an advanced screening for employees, so I got to see it early tonight! I really, really liked it. For a movie about saving the world from mutant genocide, it was effing hilarious in a lot of places.

I'm not a reader of the comics, but I'm interested in comparing X-Men's Quicksilver with Avenger's. He wasn't in it much, but I'm guessing he'll be one of people's favorite characters.

I LOVED THIS SO MUCH! I am a movie person who watched the occasional X-Men cartoon as a kid in the 90s, so from that perspective, this movie was crazy enjoyable. It was legit funny in so many places. And whoever's idea McAvoy and Fassbender were, I still cannot applaud them enough. Their love is so strong and complicated, y'all. They do McKellan and Stewart total justice. I mean, I already thought that with First Class, but they just reminded me how great they are all over again. McKellan and Stewart being great just kind of goes without saying.

Obviously the best part was the fact that

Spoiler:

the massive pile of crap that was X-Men 3 is totally undone. Thank the mutant gods for time travel.

I loved how brutal

Spoiler:

the final battle with the Sentinels was. Those deaths were craaaaazy (awesome). It reminded me of that episode of Buffy where Cordelia wishes Buffy had never come to Sunnydale, and they kill everybody off in the alternate universe right before things go back to normal. Except, you know, with a way bigger budget.

It was spectacular. Never been so glad to be wrong in my trailer-and-promotions-based impressions. Still think whoever did the Carl's Jr. tie-ins should be fired double-time, but the movie itself was definitely a worthy sequel to First Class - which is all I wanted and was afraid I wasn't going to get once they started bringing in everyone from the older movies.

Spoiler:

So nice to see Scott and Jean together again. So glad that bullshit is retconned out.

Not sure what to make of Mystique at this point, but I'm a lot less opposed to a solo effort for her than I was before. And strangely, I kind of want it to be a team-up movie with Wolverine so we can see the new story of how he gets the adamantium and what her goal is in impersonating Stryker.

Am I wrong or was the scene in the trailer where Logan called Mystique a cold-hearted bitch, not actually in the movie? I really wanted to see the two of them interact.

Spoiler:

Based on the closing of the movie, maybe we will.

I also really enjoyed it. The casting is so spot on and when I pretend that Halle Berry is Angela Bassett, it makes it so much better.

Spoiler:

The closing set pieces were just so damn exciting and the way Magneto was playing out his goals made so much logical sense for his character.

I wouldn't have believed it from the trailers and pictures, but Quicksilver was awesome and so much fun. Whedon has a lot to live up to with his interpretation of the character.

Also being a movie fan who is mildly acquainted with the XMen mythology, regarding the post-credits scene,

Spoiler:

I had absolutely no idea what was going on there. I assume that it has something to do with Apocalypse because that's the title of the next one. Can anyone clue me in?

I didn't see First Class in the theater because I thought it was a money grab, especially after the crapiness of Last Stand and Wolverine Origins and trying to grab onto the zeitgeist of Mad Men. That was a mistake, because it was a great movie with a great cast and story. This movie was everything I was hoping a First Class sequel would be and more, especially tying in the original cast with the new one.

With the MCU and especially Winter Soldier, we are living in a fucking Golden Era of comic book movies, people. We will tell the tales of these days to our grandchildren. :-)

So, I loved it, very very very much. Totally worth the tiredness this morning.

Lots of non-coherent thoughts that will hopefully coalesce into something more substantial later, but I just have to say:

Casting Spoiler:

Anna Paquin's agent needs a raise. Managed to get home-girl billing OVER Ellen Page, when Ellen Page actually had lines and an importance to the plot, whereas Anna had a blink and you'll miss it cameo. (Yes, I know her scenes were cut from the film, but still...)